Regions and Cities of Germany

Weimar, a city located within the free state of Thuringia is situated on the banks of the Ilm River. An important rail junction and industrial city, Weimar manufactures textile and paper goods, machinery, automobiles, musical instruments, electronic equipment, glass and footwear, among many other articles. The city exudes a definite medieval atmosphere, with its narrow alley ways, gabled houses and numerous architectural landmarks.

The city, founded in the 10th Century, underwent various stages in which it was under control and rule of counts and landgraves, until in 1485 it came into possession of the Ernestine branch of the Wettin House. In 1547 it was named capital of the Saxony-Weimar Duchy. In 1919 the National German Assembly convened in Weimar and established the German Republic - and drafted a democratic Constitution; in 1920 the city was named capital of the new state of Thuringia. During the Second World War the German Nazi government set up and directed one of the largest concentration camps in Germany, called "Buchenwald", near Weimar; today, a memorial and a museum remind visitors and locals of the crimes.

Some of the historic landmarks and places to see in Weimar include a beautiful 15th Century parish church, that was rebuilt in the 18th Century and which houses an altarpiece by Lucas Cranach, the Elder; the Red Castle and the Green Castle from the 16th and 18th Centuries, respectively, the ducal palace, built under Goethe's directions, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's house, which operates as a museum in his memory and is open to the public; Friedrich von Schiller's residence and the state theatre, in which Franz Liszt worked as orchestral director and where composer Richard Wagner premiered several of his dramatic works.